It was the fifteenth day since arriving at the Golden Aspect Sect.
And also the day of farewell.
That morning, the sound of a pipa echoed from the Wind Lotus Cottage.
As the melody ended, Yun Qi clapped his hands in admiration.
"Your skill in Jiangnan's music is truly remarkable."
The piece Jiangnan Jing had carefully chosen, "Wang Hui's Gratitude to His Teacher," was both melodious and crisp, with delicate string tones.
At times, the low notes flowed like sobs, as if lamenting the impending farewell, while the high notes shone brightly like laughter, as if celebrating the mastery of his craft.
Yun Qi sighed.
"This is far superior to anything else I've heard."
Jiangnan blushed, unable to lift his head.
Yun Qi then added, "This is 'Wang Hui's Gratitude to His Teacher,' isn't it? My mother was also skilled in the pipa, but my father preferred the qin, so she often accompanied him with the se. I rarely heard her play the pipa."
Jiangnan replied, "So your parents were both masters of music."
Yun Qi waved his hand dismissively.
"Not masters, just amateurs who enjoyed it in their leisure time."
Then, as if remembering something, he asked, "What piece did you play that day when you fought the Thin Daoist? I hadn't heard it before. It sounded fierce, like a raptor soaring through the sky."
Jiangnan answered, "It was 'The Sea Eagle Captures the Swan,' a northern piece from the Yuan dynasty."
Yun Qi nodded.
No wonder it sounded unfamiliar.
Jiangnan looked at the pipa in his hands and said, "Actually, I also enjoy the qin, but the qin emphasizes meaning over technique, making it much harder to master. So, I usually rely on the pipa for self-defense."
Yun Qi noticed the pipa's surface, which was a smooth yellow, resembling apricot flesh and as fine as ivory.
He asked, "What material is this pipa made of?"
"It's made of Xiangyu Huangtan, sourced from Qiongzhou Island. The wood is dense and tight, perfect for music, and it has beautiful grain patterns. That's why it's also called 'music wood.' Similarly, tung wood is also used. Most famous pipas and qins in the world are made of these two types of wood."
Yun Qi nodded.
He was aware of this.
"But I've heard there's a famous qin in the world, neither made of tan nor tung, yet it ranks among the top ten famous qins. Do you know of it?"
Yun Qi shook his head.
"Legend has it that in Shu, there was a renowned qin maker named Lei, who became famous during the Sui and Tang dynasties. The qins made by the Lei family are called Lei qins, and they are in a class of their own."
The Lei family has produced over ten master craftsmen across generations.
Among the current top ten famous qins, 'Nine Heavens Ringing Jade,' 'Great Sage's Legacy,' 'Flying Spring White Waterfall,' 'Withered Wood Dragon's Roar,' and 'Phoenix Singing at Dawn' are all Lei qins.
"Most famous qins are made of tung wood, but there was one immortal craftsman in the Lei family who rose to fame during the Tang dynasty. He was Master Lei Wei, also revered as Lei the Immortal."
Lei the Immortal was known for his unconventional methods and creative ideas, earning him the title of 'immortal craftsman.' The qins he made are called 'immortal-grade.' Among the top ten famous qins, four have been confirmed to be his work.
Others are either unverified or based on hearsay.
"The 'Nine Heavens Ringing Jade,' 'Great Sage's Legacy,' and 'Phoenix Singing at Dawn' are all immortal-grade qins. But beyond these three, there's another qin made by Lei the Immortal, considered a rare treasure among immortals."
As he spoke, Jiangnan Jing seemed lost in the tale, continuing:
"It was during the Tang dynasty, when Lei the Immortal was at the height of his fame. He had a close friend, a green dragon of the dragon kind. One winter, heavy snow sealed the mountains, and Lei the Immortal and the green dragon drank and sang together in the mountains. Being Lei's close friend, the green dragon was also a master of music. In his drunken state, he asked Lei to make a qin for him."
Lei agreed.
At the time, they were drinking in a pine forest.
Lei picked up his axe and wandered through the snowy woods, stopping beneath each ancient-looking pine tree to listen to the sound of the wind through its branches.
"After much searching, he found an ancient pine whose sound was long and melodious, like a lament. He then cut it down and made a qin from it."
The qin was shaped in the Fuxi style and named 'Heavenly Wind, Pine Snow.'
"Jiangnan Jing swayed his head as if he were in the snowy pine forest himself. Yun Qi, however, was deeply shaken! It was"Heavenly Wind, Pine Snow"!
In the Three Pure Mountains, within the Green Pine Lake, the young green dragon carried an ancient qin with four seal characters on its base:"Heavenly Wind, Pine Snow"! That green dragon was young and couldn't possibly be Lei the Immortal's close friend. How did it end up in the Three Pure Mountains?
What was the connection between Lei's green dragon friend and the young dragon in Green Pine Lake? And where was it now? Yun Qi's heart raced, but his expression remained calm.
He asked curiously,"Since 'Heavenly Wind, Pine Snow' is so unique, I'd love to hear its immortal sound.
When was the last time it was played?
"Jiangnan Jing shook his head."
'Heavenly Wind, Pine Snow' hasn't been seen in the world for a long time.
But I heard that sixty years ago, there was a great battle in Shu, where the Daoist sects of Shu were hunting a green dragon.
I wonder if it was the owner of 'Heavenly Wind, Pine Snow.'
"Yun Qi was shaken again but only said,"I see.
"After the music ended and a few more words were exchanged, two burly servants from the Jiang family brought a wooden chest to the cottage. The servants opened the chest. Yun Qi glanced inside and was surprised to see that it wasn't filled with the spiral shells he had expected but rather stacks of arrow shafts, hollow and without any restrictions, along with talisman arrow blanks! Yun Qi looked at Jiangnan Jing. Jiangnan Jing seemed nervous."
Honored guest, you may not know this, but my family has long been in the business of making talisman arrows.
The small spiral shells you wanted are almost exclusively used for making talisman arrows, so we naturally guessed your intentions.
Please rest assured, our family's business may not be large, but this is just a small token of our gratitude.
It's not a valuable gift, so please don't take offense.
"Yun Qi exhaled deeply, unsure of what to say. The Golden Aspect Sect was so extravagant—was it the gold of the five elements or the gold of wealth? He had gone to great lengths to deconstruct the Thin Daoist's talisman arrows, even calculating the use of"Autumn Water.
"Everything was ready except for the spiral shells, and now they had provided everything he needed. It was like spending so much effort to prepare a grand feast, only to find you were missing salt. You go to borrow salt, and the person generously serves you an entire feast instead! The feeling was strange indeed. Yun Qi bowed in thanks, then used his magic to summon the chest. As it neared the stone on his wrist, it suddenly vanished, as if swallowed by an unknown space."
I've troubled you all these days.
I'll take my leave now.
"Yun Qi bid farewell to Jiangnan Jing, who nodded and led him out. At the dock by Bright Light Hall, Jiang Yanxing, Jiang Yuexing, and Daoist Xianjing were all present. Yun Qi bowed to each of them in turn, then summoned his"Dragon Carriage.
"Jiang Yanxing stepped forward and handed him a jade slip."
Since you insist on not letting us escort you, please accept this.
It's a map of Poyang Lake, marking the territories of various sects and families, as well as dangerous areas and secret realms.
As a disciple of the Three Pure Mountains, you naturally have no fear of sects or families, but some secret realms are best avoided.
Please take this." Yun Qi accepted it, thinking that the Golden Aspect Sect's ability to stand firm in Poyang Lake was indeed remarkable. After storing the jade slip and bidding farewell to everyone, Yun Qi boarded the"Dragon Carriage" and rode the clouds southward.
He had originally planned to head west to the Southern Wilderness, so now he would return south before continuing west.
Poyang Lake was vast.
When he had arrived, a second-realm expert had carried him through the wind, but now he was returning alone on the clouds.
With all the twists and turns, it took him four or five hours.
Yun Qi returned to the spot where he had first met Jiangnan Jing and the Thin Daoist.
Seeing no one around, he put away his cloud carriage and dove into the lake.
End of Chapter 33.
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